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This One Trick Will Get You 8 Hours of Sleep

Nailed it

By
Ally Head

01/02/2019

Sofie DelauwGetty Images

Let’s be honest, most weekday evenings are a blur of pasta and hours scrolling the gymkit on Amazon Prime as you sprawl exhausted on the sofa and try to motivate yourself to get ready for bed. You’ve barely even started applying one of your favourite overnight face masks and before you know it, it’s 11.34pm—way past your 10.30pm bedtime curfew.

You’re far from alone in not getting as much sleep as you’d like—or need. Be it social commitments, gym motivation or simply those evenings ploughing through 101 work tasks, everyone has late nights. But when they become a regular occurrence, it’s time to start worrying.

In the latest large-scale survey from The Sleep Council, a mere quarter of British adults say they sleep well at night, and a huge 70% of Brits aren’t hitting the NHS recommended target of seven and nine hours of shut eye, sleeping for just seven hours or less every night.

If you are one of the majority, it sounds like you need guidance on how to get more sleep.

Why is sleep important?

Preaching about the fact that you need more slumber is all well and good, but you’re probably asking yourself why you need so much, anyway.

Whilst the research is varied and some studies point to six hours being enough rest for the wicked, the NHS advises so much shut eye as sleep promotes health benefits ranging from improved memory to a stronger immune system and lower blood pressure. A recent study published in Nature Medicine even found your brain signals actually weaken and work more slowly when you’ve had less sleep. Not good.

In addition to the obvious—that you can’t function without it—scientists at King’s College, London have found that those who sleep more have better appetite suppression (aka aren’t breaking into the Hobnobs come 10am), experience fewer anxious and depressive thoughts, and eat less sugar. The participants who slept for longer also ate fewer carbohydrates and 10g less free sugars every day. So sleep equals wellness, then.

Similarly, a 2011 study found that participants who became obese over the course of six years slept for 6.3 hours a night, compared to participants who maintained a normal body weight who snoozed for 7.2.

As Vikki Powell, lead psychologist at The Therapy Suite and sleep disorder specialist, points out, lack of sleep can have a knock-on effect to our general wellbeing and quality of life. ‘Insomnia leads to poor concentration and problem-solving, depression and irritability, relationship tensions, increased vulnerability to illness and of course, fatigue,’ says Powell. ‘In the workplace, insomnia detrimentally affects our productivity, enjoyment, and potential to take on new challenges.’

So the researchers – and the experts – concur. You need to be getting more, not less, shut eye. But how?

So, how do you get more sleep?

Got your nutrition down and smashing your deadlift PB’s, but just can’t seem to wind down in time to catch those vital seven to nine hours a night?

Then stop Googling ‘How to get more sleep?’ and let this simple trick sent from the Apple gods help.

You may be surprised to hear that there’s an overlooked iPhone feature, which means your device will send you a gentle nudge to remind you to go to sleep in time to catch at least eight hours’ shut eye.

That’s right—no more hastily clambering into bed trying to unwind as you slather on moisturizer; you can lull in front of Game of Thrones repeats to your heart’s content. Instead, let Apple do the remembering for you.

How? Simply head to your ‘Clock’ app on your iPhone and click on the Bedtime feature in the centre of the bottom bar. Here you can set your bedtime and activate sleep analysis to give you a better insight of how many hours of shut eye you’re actually getting. Averaging five hours?

It’s no surprise you can’t say no to sugar-laden treats. What’s more, like a sleep-obsessed fairy godmother, your phone will gently notify you ten minutes before you need to be in bed to get your desired amount of sleep.

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